What do you make of the club statement published over the weekend regarding a consolidation of the club’s training facilities, and what questions do you have as a result?

 

The biggest issue I have with the development is the communication.  When this was picked up on social media it caused a lot of uncertainty and unsettled a lot of people and this could have been avoided with the club showing greater transparency and being proactive in their communication, not reactive. 

There's been a lot of speculation regarding whether this is positive and I don't have the business acumen to understand the benefits or shortfalls, but from an untrained eye, it seems sensible and the only concern I have is that the facility continues to work at the optimum level. 

The financial challenges of the club are no secret and it is understandable to release capital through downsizing an asset as long it doesn't impact on our quality of provision. 

It may also be an opportunity to develop the current facilities as other clubs have since caught us up with our Youth Development and it's been quite a few years since this was set up. 

Kelvin Wilkins

 

I assume the real reason for this initiative is purely financial. The club no longer has a generous benefactor but continues to have a substantial debt as long as it remains outside the affluent Premier league.

There is little prospect of Rovers returning to the cash cow division so the owners have to "cut the cloth to suit the purse".

I'm sure there will be myriad reasons given for the proposals in that it will be of benefit to "all concerned", just like when funding is cut to an organisation which will then supposedly "provide a better service”.

The Brockhall "state of the art" facility has been an ongoing saga ever since Mark Hughes changed things around and planning applications seem to come and go with regular monotony. 

The building of 170 dwellings on the current training facility, however, probably adds a new dimension to the chain of events.

Hopefully if plans succeed, then the facility's "development" will still attract players to the club as has often been the case in the past.

Paul Yates

 

Firstly, the worst thing about this was finding out via fans on social media which is a disgrace in my opinion. By that being put in the public domain it virtually forced the club to make a statement on the issue which they may not have wanted to make.

If they can combine everything to at least the same standard by using one single training centre it would make sense and bagging a few million for the club coffers in the process. Providing the profits etc were ploughed back into the club I wouldn't have a problem with that, however if they weren’t, I would be totally against it.

Andrew Robinson